Who’s the Best Beauty Muse for 2016? 11 Vogue Editors on Their Icons for the Year Ahead

New Year, New You—or so the saying goes. But before you dash on a bright violet lip or chop six inches off your hair, why not first give careful consideration to your muse for the months ahead? Whether you’re dreaming of pastel lengths or an extreme cat-eye, channeling one ultimate beauty icon will help keep your look grounded and focused, no matter how daring it may be. From a seductive French vampire queen to a model turned mermaid, here are 11 Vogue editor–approved choices that guarantee a knockout year.

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“Emmanuelle Seigner in Frantic! I want to be a red-pouted, cleavage-baring, hoop-wearing carefree woman who can’t pay her rent but has a hell of a time club-hopping around the city—minus her whole dying in the end thing. Also, I want to take a diet cue from her and just eat lots of white bread and never work out ever again—but still own it in a tight leather zip-up dress.”
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue.com Fashion News Writer

“When I opened the JanuaryVogue to discover model Imaan Hammam reclining on the sand like a beached mermaid, I felt like she was the harbinger of beauty for the New Year. Her curls are by far some of the best, but I also think Imaan looks alive and different from everyone else. What great vibes to bring in 2016!” —Marjon Carlos, Vogue.com Senior Fashion Writer

“Shirin Neshat is the queen of the under-eye liner, a technique I’ve been deploying since high school. This year, I’ll be emulating her graphic black cat-eye—albeit in less dramatic fashion—bold earrings, neon pink lipstick, and going a bit darker with my hair.” —Eviana Hartman, Vogue.com Contributing Editor

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“I am deeply boring in the sense that I cling to a handful of chief aesthetic touchstones year after year. One that looms largest? Catherine Deneuve’s divine vampire in The Hunger. While it’s usually more of a fashion reference for me, for 2016 I’ll be channeling her soft smoky eye, ’80s fuchsia, and who knows? Maybe even a badass chignon or two.” —Kristin Anderson, Vogue.com Fashion News Writer

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“I finally got to read Lucia Berlin’s absolutely brilliant posthumous collected short stories, A Manual for Cleaning Women, and am as starstruck by the author as by her fiction. She radiates a kind of wild-at-heart spirit; even in photographs, with her dark distinctive brows and ice blue eyes, she has the kind of larger-than-life beauty of an Italian screen star—a writerly Anna Magnani. Some of that is inheritance, but some of it is a willingness to live intensely and adventurously.” —Rebecca Bengal, Vogue.com Contributing Editor

“Going makeup-free has made my skin much clearer, so for 2016 I will be channeling Gwyneth Paltrow in the ’90s: barefaced, clean, and simple. To achieve this look, I’ll need the perfect blonde hue (all thanks to Danielle at Warren Tricomi!), to clean up my unruly brows, and to get my lashes tinted—which terrifies me, but one of my New Year’s resolutions is confronting my eye phobia and getting contacts, so wish me luck.” —Kelly Connor, Vogue.com Market Editor

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“I picked up Patti Smith’s M Train over the holidays and couldn’t put it down. This year, I’m channeling her curious spirit, her stripped-back attitude on the Horses cover, and—here comes the hopeful/ambitious part—the kind of transcendent confidence that comes with knowing who you are and owning it.” —Catherine Piercy, Vogue.com Beauty Director